NELSONVILLE, Ohio- Stuart’s Opera House is thrilled to announce the lineup for this year’s 8th annual Nelsonville Music Festival on May 18-20 at Robbins Crossing on the campus of Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio. This year’s lineup includes Iron and Wine, M. Ward, Roky Erickson, Dawes, Charles Bradley, Kurt Vile & The Violators, Dark Dark Dark, Jorma Kaukonen, Lee Ranaldo Band, Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside, Horse Feathers, Michael Hurley, Shovels & Rope, JD McPherson, R.Ring, Woody Pines, Todd Burge, with more acts still to be announced! Weekend passes and individual camping passes are on sale now! To purchase passes, or for more information visit www.nelsonvillefest.org or call (740) 753-1924.
Iron and Wine is the musical project of Sam Beam, a singer-songwriter who has had a very impressive decade long career. Iron and Wine began in 2002 as a mainly acoustic project of uniquely hushed songs on their debut The Creek Drank The Cradle and over the years has evolved into a variety of styles while maintaining a distinct sound and focus on storytelling that weaves throughout their music. Iron & Wine have released four studio albums (including their most recent, Kiss Each Other Clean in January of 2011) and a handful of EP’s, download only releases, and a few live albums including performances from the 2005 Bonnaroo performance and their 2006 show at Lollapalooza.
M.Ward’s was initially a well-kept secret of his peers in the Portland folk scene, his star continued to rise with each record’s release, and he is now one of the most acclaimed American musicians of the decade. In addition to his own four solo records, side projects have included 2007′s Monsters of Folk (with Jim James of My Morning Jacket and Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes) and She & Him with Zooey Deschenel. Past critics have compared him to everyone from John Fahey to Tom Waits, but it’s clear that M. Ward, with his brilliant guitar playing and innate sense of melody, is one of those rare and special talents who defy comparisons and compartmentalization.
Roky Erickson hails from Austin, Texas and he is, in the words of music writer Richie Unterberger, one of “the unknown heroes of rock and roll.” He was the singer, songwriter, and guitar player for the legendary band The 13th Floor Elevators, the first band to describe their music as “psychedelic”.The Elevators only had one chart hit, the Roky-penned “You’re Gonna Miss Me”, but they influenced everyone from Robert Plant The White Stripes. After several decades of tragedy following a 1969 incident, Erickson has now returned to recording and playing live music all around the world. In 2010 he collaborated on an album with indie-rockers Okkervil River and has played at the Austin City Limits Festival.
The 2012 Nelsonville Music Festival lineup includes folk-rockers Dawes who draw inspiration from the old Laurel Canyon sounds of Crosby, Stills, and Nash and Jackson Browne alongside the fiery soul music of Charles Bradley, sung as only a man who has led his life can sing. and Critically acclaimed indie songwriter Kurt Vile and his band the Violators join the festival after making countless best of 2011 lists. Music legends Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna) and Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) will make appearances along side up and coming acts like Portland’s Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside and the orchestral music of Minnesota’s Dark Dark Dark, both of whom will become new favorites this year for the festival crowd. Folk legend Michael Hurley will continue his streak of Nelsonville Music Festival performances in 2012 and will join Shovels & Rope, Horse Feathers, J.D. McPherson, and more throughout the weekend. Regional artists and favorites are represented as well, with R.Ring, the new project from Dayton resident and former Breeders member Kelley Deal and longtime area favorites Woody Pines and West Virginia’s Todd Burge.
Set in the beautiful rolling hills of Southeastern Ohio, the Nelsonville Music Festival is a three-day festival that celebrates music and local artistry of our region. We take pride in offering a warm, accepting environment where local artisans can sell and be recognized for their work, where local, regional and national musicians instill their awe-inspiring talents and festival goers can relax and enjoy the fruits of our regional flavor. Now in its 8th year the Nelsonville Music Festival continues to be one of the region’s best offering multiple stages of music all weekend long along with camping on site, kids activities, local art vendors, food, and a beer garden. Past performers have included The Flaming Lips, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, The Avett Brothers, Neko Case, Yo La Tengo, George Jones, Mudhoney, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, The Swell Season, and many more. The Nelsonville Music Festival is a production of Stuart’s Opera House, a historic, non-profit theater located in Nelsonville that features over 75 events a year including live music, theater, films, educational programming and more. You can find out more about Stuart’s by visiting www.stuartsoperahouse.org.
